Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast

"This is a very easy recipe for a delicious pot roast. It makes its own gravy. It's designed especially for the working person who does not have time to cook all day, but it tastes like you did. You'll want the cut to be between 5 and 6 pounds."

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jan 22, 2004

I have made this recipe at least 15 times. What I have found that the best cut of meat to use is a tri-tip roast. There is no need to brown the meat but I do recommend triming off as much fat as possible.
One problem I had was that there was always too much gravy left over. I have recently discovered that this recipe comes out just as spectacular using one can of soup and half a can of water. Do use the regular amount of onion soup mix. It should be cooked to perfection in about six hours.
I also have a suggestion on the type of slowcooker used. I first tried making this recipe in a small Nesco but it was not able to keep the roast completely immersed in the soup mixture. I use a Rival. It is 7 inches wide and about 5 inches deep. This is the most typical slowcooker around.
Finally a word on adding vegetables. I tried adding carrots and potatoes to this recipe and for some reason the gravy was not very flavorful. For this reason I just leave them out.
Good luck!

Most Helpful Critical Review

Jan 30, 2004

I thought maybe I did something wrong when I made this and it turned out terrible, but when my mom tried it and mentioned her horrible results, I decided it wasn't just me. I don't know why the reviews are so high, but this recipe isn't that great. The only thing that's great is that it's easy and quick to assemble. The flavor is pretty weak and the gravy was awful. I would never make this again and would rather do the extra work to have a roast that tastes yummy with gravy that IS gravy.

If you are looking for the perfect roast recipe then look no further! I read pages and pages of the reviews & then took some of the suggestions and modified the recipe a bit. The result was spectacular – I will be making this dish again and again. Since there are just two of us I bought a 2.5 lb chuck roast and I lightly covered with a mixture of flour, garlic salt and dried rosemary and then seared all sides with a bit of unsalted butter. I added baby carrots, sweet onion, small red potatoes and celery. For the gravy I combined 2 cans of 99%fat free cream of mushroom soup, ½ a packet of onion soup mix, 1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce, ¼ cup of red wine and 1 cup of beef broth & cooked on high for 4 hours and low for 2 hours. The meat was so tender and the gravy was absolutely delectable. It was a bit thin so I just thickened up with a bit of flour. I served with cheese risotto (Safeway brand) and French bread. I can honestly say this was one of the best meals I’ve ever made…. HIGHLY recommend.

OK.... I tried this recipe using a 4 lb. angus bottom round roast, and after reading all the reviews that said the gravy needed to be thickened. I decided to flour the roast with flour, granulated garlic, salt and pepper. Then I browned it on all sides in a little olive oil. While it was browning on the stove, I added the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker, I also put in two 4 oz. cans of mushrooms. However, I substituded the water for beef broth (same amount) and when the roast was done browning, I put it in the slow cooker and covered it with the mixture in the slow cooker. I also cooked it on low for 4 hours then high for the rest of the time. It came out VERY tender. No need to thicken the gravy, because the flour thickened it while it was cooking. My picky 12 yr old daughter (who eats like a bird) ate some for dinner, then again when she got home that night, and my 9 yr old son asked me to make this more often. I served it with mashed potatoes and canned corn. It was the easiest pot roast I ever made!!

I wasn't able to follow this recipe, since I didn't have the soup and onion mix. But I wanted to add a tip that makes cooking in a crockpot SO much easier. Line the crockpot with a Reynold's oven cooking bag, Turkey size, or smaller depending on the size of your crockpot. Cooking time is the same. Then the best part, clean up. Just remove the ingredients, lift out the bag, and your done! The crockpot remains clean.

BADA-BING! I have been making this recipe for quite some time now, with the exception of the cream of mushroom soup. The soup adds that OOMPH to the gravy that I have been looking for! I used beef broth instead of the water, & added 2 TBSP of corn starch to thicken it up before serving. In the last 3 hours cooking in the crock pot I added fresh carrots, green beans, potatoes & sliced onions. YUM! The family LOVES it & when my neighbors find out I'm making it, they always take dibs on the leftovers! Thanks Brenda!!

Best tasting pot roast I ever had. To make it a little healthier, I cooked it all day on low and then refrigerated it. The next evening I was able to peel off over a 1" layer of beef fat that had hardened on the top and reheat the pot roast in the oven. I realize this defeated the 'dinner ready when you get home' purpose of a crockpot but this process removed at least 1000 calories from the dish and it still tasted fantastic!

Just an additional note to say that it's important to sear the meat on all sides before adding to the crockpot- it only takes a few minutes and really helps to seal in the juices of the meat. I made it yesterday and forgot to sear the meat first. Still tasted good but not nearly as moist as when I've seared the roast first. Enjoy!

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.